The NHL is one of the top sports leagues in the world but can get lost in the sports betting shuffle due to its place in the North American sports calendar. The meat of the NHL season happens while other major leagues and events take place around North America.
But with several games scheduled most nights, many reasons exist to bet on the NHL at top online sportsbooks such as BetOnline, Everygame, and Bovada.
No sport is easy to bet on, including hockey. But to aid your chances of turning a profit with NHL betting, we have put together this handy betting guide.
Whether you are new to betting on the NHL or a seasoned pro when it comes to the action on the ice, this betting guide contains a lot of the basic information that will help you make informed and confident betting decisions. That includes where to bet on NHL odds, types of NHL bets, NHL betting strategies, tips, tools and resources, and more.
Watch This Video to Learn More About NHL Betting
Before you dive into the written portion of our NHL betting guide, check out this handy video that breaks down the basics of betting on the National Hockey League:
Best NHL Betting Sites
As the NHL is one of the most popular professional sports leagues in the world and features household names like Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin, and Nathan MacKinnon, all of the best online sportsbooks have NHL odds.
What are some of the sites we recommend the most for betting on NHL games and NHL futures odds?
Check out our rundown of the best NHL betting sites to learn what these sites offer. That includes betting markets, bonuses and promotions, and other features.
Basics of the NHL and NHL Betting
Like the NFL, the NHL currently consists of 32 teams. Like the NBA, the NHL consists of an Eastern Conference and a Western Conference. And in each of those two 16-team conferences, there are two eight-team divisions.
Eastern Conference
- Atlantic Division: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Metropolitan Division: Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals
Western Conference
- Central Division: Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Utah Hockey Club, Winnipeg Jets
- Pacific Division: Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights
The NHL regular season begins in early October and ends in April, and each team plays 82 games.
Following the regular season, eight teams in each conference qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, the top three teams from each division and two wild cards with the highest total of points irrespective of division.
As with the NBA playoffs, the NHL playoffs play out over four best-of-seven rounds. The two teams who emerge victorious from the Eastern Conference finals and Western Conference finals meet in the Stanley Cup Finals, with home-ice advantage going to the team with the highest regular season points total.
Types of NHL Bets
There are many ways to bet on the NHL. As is the case with baseball, basketball, and football, sides and totals are the most popular types of NHL bets.
Please note that any references to sides and totals below are referring to bets on full NHL games and do not involve other sides and totals, like period and team sides and totals. That said, the strategic approach for all of these markets is largely the same.
Moneyline & Spread Bets
Moneyline and point spread bets, also known as sides, both involve betting on the outcome of NHL games.
If you make a moneyline bet on an NHL matchup, that means you have picked one side to win.
In NHL betting, the point spread is known as the puck line. If you are making a puck line bet on an NHL matchup, you are betting on one team to cover the spread, just like with NFL betting or NBA betting.
As with run line bets in baseball, most puck lines you will see are -1.5/+1.5. That means that if you bet on the -1.5, the team you bet on needs to win by two or more goals, and if you bet on the +1.5, you need the team you bet on to either win outright or lose by one goal.
Most puck line bets are settled in regulation, even if the game goes into overtime. This is unless the puck line happens to be -0.5/+0.5. That is because you cannot win by more than one goal in a game that is decided in overtime or a shootout.
Total (a.k.a. Over/Under) Betting
If you bet on an NHL game, total bets, also known as over/under (O/U) bets, typically apply to the number of goals scored in a game. Over/under betting is not dependent at all on any part of the outcome itself, so who wins and who loses is not a factor.
Most NHL totals at sportsbooks such as BetOnline and SportsBetting.ag are listed as O/U 5.5, O/U 6, or O/U 6.5. If you place a bet on over 6.5 goals for a game, that means seven or more goals or need to be scored for your bet to win. And if you bet on under 6.5 goals, six or more goals must be scored for a successful bet.
Other Types of NHL Bets
Sides and totals are the main types of NHL bets if you are betting on NHL game odds.
However, many sportsbooks that have hockey odds also offer other types of NHL bets. Those include NHL prop bets and NHL futures bets.
In terms of popularity, the NHL player props market does not match the markets for NBA player props and NFL player props. But scoring and shot on goal props do make a frequent appearance in our NHL expert picks. Bovada and Lucky Rebel are two great sites for NHL props.
When it comes to futures, Stanley Cup futures, NHL awards futures, and NHL regular season point total futures are some of the types of NHL futures markets you may find at NHL betting sites like BetOnline.
NHL Betting Strategies and Tips
There are many valuable NHL betting strategies and tips, but whether you are new to betting on hockey or have been doing so for years, the biggest tip is to do your research.
If you bet on NHL games, evaluating how two teams match up should always be foundational to your research. And over the course of the season, combing through and keeping up with the latest NHL stats, NHL season standings, and performance trends can help you have both short and long-term success.
Also, while there are differences in how you analyze and bet on various sports, many similarities can come into play when betting on the NHL. Some of those similarities in the tools and resources you use and how you use those tools and resources to finetune your betting approach and decisions.
NHL Betting Tools and Resources
Good resources are a significant part of a positive betting experience.
Bad beats and surprising results are going to happen. That is inevitable, no matter the sport, event, or type of bet.
But using the sports betting tools and resources at your disposal well will help maximize your chances to make winning days at the window a regular occurrence.
Compare NHL Odds and Get NHL Consensus & Expert Picks Daily at Betting News
At Betting News, the meat of our NHL coverage comes from our betting analysts, who provide expert picks and analysis for many of the top matchups, as well as their takes on the latest Stanley Cup odds and other NHL futures.
Also, we have daily NHL consensus picks for every game on the schedule from the opening puck drop of the season to the last game of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Those consensus picks, which are aggregated from reputable industry sources, are combined with NHL odds from BetOnline and other leading sportsbooks to come up with the best value moneyline, puck line (spread), and total picks for each game.
In addition to picks and odds for every game, you can learn and sharpen your knowledge of the ins and outs of NHL betting through our sports betting guides.
While we want Betting News to be at the top of your list for betting on the NHL and other sports, leagues, and events, there are many other great free and premium resources out there.
NHL Betting Tools and Resources
Betting News also features reviews of valuable sports betting tools and resources such as BetAlytics, Outlier.bet, and Rithmm. These sites and apps all come in clutch for our team of experienced sports bettors, and we think they can be valuable to our readers also.
NHL News and Stats Resources
The NHL’s official site, ESPN, CBS Sports, and TSN will help you stay in the loop with the latest NHL news.
What are some of the best sites to keep up with NHL basic and advanced stats? For resources that are not betting-centric but are outstanding research resources for bettors, sites like HockeyDB, Hockey Reference, and the NHL’s official site are all great places to start to keep up with NHL stats.
NHL Player News and Injury Information Resources
Along with some of the sites already mentioned, sites like RotoWire and RotoGrinders are good research resources for both daily fantasy sports and NHL player props, as well as keeping up with injury information and player news.
Other NHL Betting Information
In addition to this NHL betting guide, you can find a host of NHL-specific betting content on the site, as well as plenty of general relevant content that can help with placing NHL bets.
If you find this guide helpful, bookmark Betting News so you can keep up with the NHL content we produce throughout the year.
Our NHL betting guide is just one of many betting guides we offer. Would you like to learn about a type of bet or betting strategy or how to bet on a particular sport, league, or event? Check out our comprehensive selection of sports betting guides, which includes the following guides:
Learn How to Bet on Other Sports, Leagues & Events
- NFL Betting Guide
- NBA Betting Guide
- MLB Betting Guide
- College Football Betting Guide
- NASCAR Betting Guide
- WNBA Betting Guide
- Super Bowl Betting Guide
- March Madness Betting Guide
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